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The IMI launches its second wave of research projects including cancer, immune-mediated diseases, infectious disorders and electronic health.

The European Commission has launched a formal antitrust investigation to assess an agreement between Cephalon and Teva.

Drugmaker Amylin said it is suing Eli Lilly, alleging Lilly violated their alliance by teaming up with Boehringer Ingelheim.

According to the ban came into force from May 1, a company needs to demonstrate its efficacy and safety through traditional use for at least 30 years of which 15 years should be within EU. The new guideline mandates registration of a herbal medicine.

BioFocus has signed a collaboration agreement with Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma focused on discovering novel targets in the field of CNS disorders.

The facility will provide support, training and validation services to EMD Millipore’s biopharma customers with operations in China.

The alliance will combine BCRI’s leadership in clinical strategy, study planning and academic relationships with ICON’s experience in the execution of global clinical trials.

The drug is the first to be approved in Switzerland for treating subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA).

Cancer Research UK has selected the UK-based API manufacturer to develop the chemistry and perform the GMP synthesis of the API for use in a Phase 1 clinical trial.

The partnership allows both parties to offer their clients a platform to 100% human monoclonal antibody ready for clinical trials.

French pharmaceutical group Sanofi-Aventis has abandoned its double-barreled name it acquired along with Aventis in 2004.

Alkermes Inc. said Monday it will merge with Elan Drug Technologies in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $960 million.

Impax said the lawsuit alleges its generic violates patents belonging to Alza supporting Concerta tablets of 18 milligrams, 27 milligrams and 36 milligrams.

The new facilities have been inspected and approved for use by the UK regulatory authority and have been awarded Supplementary Accreditation.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has initiated a voluntary recall of Coumadin crystalline 5mg tablets used to treat or prevent blood clots.

INC Research has inked a $232 million deal to acquire Kendle, a publicly traded company based in Cincinnati that ranks among the top 10 contract research organizations.

UK-based contract manufacturing organisation SCM has secured a sterile filling and packaging project with Italian Molteni Therapeutics.

Under the terms of the settlement, Merck Serono will pay $44.3m to the US government.

India's biotech industry is expected to swell to $10 billion in 2015.

Oxford BioMedica has expanded its 5T4 tumor antigen therapeutics collaboration with Pfizer.

Argentina has assured India that it would solve the issue of restrictions on finished pharmaceutical products from India to Argentina.

The global orthopedics industry has an annual growth rate of about 5% to 7% and approached $30 billion in 2010.

Akorn Inc. said it will buy Massachusetts ophthalmic company Advanced Vision Research Inc. for $26 million.

The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued a judgment in its favor concerning its litigation over Dipharma's manufacture and sale of Fexofenadine HCl.

The combined company will have complementary commercial, R&D and operational capabilities and will provide a broad spectrum of specialty branded products.

Grifols has agreed to the sale of select assets and has entered into certain commercial, lease and manufacturing agreements with the Italian company Kedrion for as many as seven years.

The screening programme is to improve the efficiency of the FDA's monitoring and surveillance of the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Under the terms of the agreement, Althea will fill commercial drug products to supply the U.S. market.

Omnicare Clinical Research has been acquired by Nautic Partners, LLC, a private equity firm based in Providence, R.I.

The new CIT-LAB group will have consolidated sales of $103 million and 830 staff across five sites in France, Canada, Denmark and Hungary.

Under the agreement, Integra will become an RxTrials partner research site and the partnership will enhance their collective capacity to conduct industry-sponsored clinical research.

J&J will merge Synthes with its DePuy operations, creating an organization that would own nearly 28 percent of the orthopedic device market.

Each partner will contribute its products and equally share costs related to the study.

Medtronic Inc. said Tuesday that it is working with Eli Lilly & Co. on a treatment for Parkinson's disease.

Akebia announced that it has closed a Series B financing totaling $22 million.

The approval was based on results from a Phase II trial and three Phase III trials in more than 3,300 infants that received Menactra vaccine using a two-dose schedule.

Bayer will manufacture the bulk drug substance at its Berkeley, CA clinical manufacturing center to support Phase I testing, which expected to begin in 2012.

FDA officials say a highly-anticipated drug to treat hepatitis C made by Merck appears to cure more patients in less time than established drugs.

Generic drugmaker Mylan Inc. said Monday it has launched a generic version of Novartis' breast cancer treatment Femara.

According to a national survey, more Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin combined.

The launch of Lexapro? will be supported by more than 2,000 sales representatives, which is fully competitive in the Japanese market.

Four of the five cancers that result in the greatest burden of disease had relatively few clinical trials: lung, colorectal, prostate and pancreatic cancers.

As a result of a recent inspection and a follow-up meeting with FDA, Luitpold agreed to suspend distribution of any drug product manufactured at its Shirley, New York facility.

Through the agreement, ICON and ACRONET will collaborate to offer global and Japanese pharmaceutical clients a full range of clinical development capabilities.

Amgen has outlined its strategy, capital allocation plans and provided financial guidance for 2015 during a meeting with investors this week.

The sale of two manufacturing plants in Memphis and Aiken leads to the potential loss of 460 manufacturing jobs.

Gilead Sciences said Wednesday it signed a licensing deal with MicroDose Therapeutx for an experimental respiratory syncytial virus treatment.

The tremendous earthquake in Japan damaged the production plant of Aska, which is a joint venture partner of Actavis. This left Japan with a potential supply shortage of Levothyroxine.

The EU has awarded about $1.6 million to a consortium of companies developing an ultrasound-triggered drug-delivery technology.

The companies plan to explore future cooperation opportunities, including further distribution and commercialization, research and development activities, manufacturing and equity investment opportunities.

The Debio 1142 project aims to develop inhibitors that target this oncology pathway, which plays key roles in various solid tumours.

With the acquisition of Kinaxo, Evotec is expanding its drug discovery platform with cutting-edge technologies.

The company stated its decision was based on its inability to address the CHMP’s request to provide additional data within the timeframe allowed in the centralised procedure.

SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc. bought NovaMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Chinese specialty pharmaceutical company, in a cash and stock deal worth up to nearly $105 million.

Baxter International Inc. said Monday it will acquire privately-held Prism Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for a total consideration of up to $338 million.

The new CRO company will employ about 400 employees and generate over 50 Mio Euros of revenues.

Regulus Therapeutics is working with researchers from university to identify new microRNA therapeutics for the treatment of angiogenic diseases.

GSK will divest non-core OTC brands for its Consumer Healthcare business around a portfolio of priority brands and emerging markets.

Merck and Johnson & Johnson have finally reached a settlement in their dispute over the distribution rights for Remicade and Simponi.

Bayer has submitted its rivaroxaban to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for marketing approval in the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Nycomed replaces the specialty pharmaceutical company Biomeks ?la? (Biomeks) as the marketing authorization holder and distributor for the majority of Biomeks' product portfolio in Turkey.

Bydureon, a long-acting form of the daily drug Byetta, has received EU recommendation which is very important for Eli Lilly and Amylin.

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc., a company developing cancer drugs, said it has raised $77 million in a private financing round.

The investment will advance the company's lead product candidate, Lidocaine Releasing Intravesical System (LiRIS), into later stage clinical development.

A division of Johnson & Johnson recalls approximately 57,000 bottles of Topamax after reports of an uncharacteristic odor.

Privately-held specialty pharma Axcan will buy Mpex Pharmaceuticals to obtain the latter's Phase III-stage Aeroquin therapy.

Orasi Medical announced yesterday that the company has entered into an agreement with Biogen Idec to test novel biomarkers in the development of treatments for central nervous system disorders.

The companies signed a collaboration and license agreement under which Pieris will use its Anticalin scaffold technology against two targets to be provided by Daiichi Sankyo.

The internal integration of user and manufacturer helps ensure products align properly with user requirements and capabilities.

An additional commitment of $40 million dollars to the Japanese Red Cross brings the total contributions of the American Red Cross to $100 million.

Amgen has expanded its operations into Brazil with the acquisition of Bergamo, a privately held Brazilian pharmaceutical company, for approximately $215 million.

The companies plan to proceed quickly with the transaction close to begin integration of the businesses and establishing a globally leading eye care business.

AMRI announced that it has entered into a development and commercial supply agreement with Parnell.

The WHO said generations of drugs are under threat as microorganisms are becoming increasingly resistant to them.

The company may look at deals worth more than $10 billion to compensate for a lack of organic growth and to provide an outlet for its steady buildup of cash.

Lupin will receive a $10 million up-front payment as well as potential U.S. regulatory milestones for products covered by Lupin patents or jointly held patents.

Optimer will be responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of Dificid in the U.S. and for recording product revenue.

The need for such voice system arose when constant use of a barcode reader slowed picking.

The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued a judgment in its favor concerning its litigation over Dipharma's manufacture and sale of Fexofenadine HCl.

Merck says it is buying Inspire Pharmaceuticals for about $430 million to expand its product portfolio with treatments for eye conditions.

Evans Analytical Group, Inc. announced that it has acquired Chemir Analytical Services and its affiliates CAS-MI Laboratories and Cyanta Analytical Services.

Pfizer paid $177 million and GlaxoSmithKline PLC paid $85 million during 2010 to U.S. doctors and institutions for their work on clinical trials, consulting, speaking and other items.

BARDA is giving $231 million to Australia-based Biota for the company's flu treatment laninamivir.

Roche Korea has restructured for 2011 as part of its recently announced Operational Excellence Program.

Pharmacies in Wales are handing out emergency contraception free of charge to under 16s. The move has caused controversy in the UK.

The UK's Acacia Pharma raised $10 million in its Series A financing.

Isogenica announced that it has established a dedicated business development and customer support team based in Alameda, California.

ICON has established a new office in Shanghai to expand its business in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ecron Acunova has acquired a full service CRO to expand its clinical research presence in north Europe region.

New measures in the budget have been made to benefit pharma industry in the UK including an additional ?100m for science innovation facilities.

A cannabis-based oromucosal spray for the treatment of spasticity will be launched in six European countries.

The three-year research collaboration will investigate the role of the osteoblast-secreted peptide, osteocalcin, in diabetes management.

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DSM’s new strategy is to respond to key trends in an effort to support its customers in developing solutions that meet current and future needs.

Based in Parma, Italy, GF S.p.A offers production programs for both aseptic and multifunction filling, as well as inspection machines and a range of products for varying filling needs.

Drug developer Pozen said the deal marks the first step in bringing its treatment to migraine patients living outside the United States.

Cephalon has signed a contract to acquire Gemin X Pharmaceuticals. The merge is expected to close in 2Q11.

The two firms have mutually agreed that ending the agreement is in the best interests of both companies. There are no associated termination penalties and each company is responsible for its own expenses.

A Sao Paolo-based manufacturer of plastic pharmaceutical packaging products has been acquired by Gerresheimer AG for the development of packaging business in South America.

The alliance between Almac and Exco InTouch provides sponsors with a practical, cost-effective solution to managing patients during a clinical trial.

The Tekmira-Alnylam fight highlights the current research efforts to overcome the challenge of delivering RNAi drugs into cells before they are damaged in the bloodstream or cause certain immune reactions.

Two industry groups with skin in the game say they want foreign API plants inspected by the FDA. And they're willing to pay for it.

Quest Diagnostics agreed Friday to acquire Celera Corp. as the company seeks to expand in gene-based medical testing.

Bionetworks and AstraZeneca have initiated a collaboration to make new insights into some cancers using advanced computational models of disease genetics.

Ambrilia and ZBx has entered into an exclusive license option agreement for the worldwide rights to Ambrilia's PSP-94 technology for prostate cancer diagnosis.

Anacor announced its development agreement with Medicines for Malaria Venture to develop a treatment of malaria.

The emergency relief headquarters will deliver ethical drugs to help the people affected by the earthquake.

GSK is practicing its disaster relief program for the quake victims in Japan.

Daiichi Sankyo will recall 13 lots in Japan of a Sanofi Pasteur ActHIB vaccine due to an unidentified substance found in two syringes.

Mylan said that its internal investigation found that labels for Mylan-Amlodipine were mixed together with labels for Mylan-Minocycline. The recall affects one lot of the meds.

The collaboration is expected to establish a biomarker strategy aimed at identifying biological responses to drugs in relevant tissues.

India and Nigeria have signed an agreement to cooperate in the pharmaceutical sector.

Donations from pharmaceutical companies are being provided to help the victims in Japan.

Among PhRMA member companies, more than 75 percent of research dollars were invested in the U.S.

The EMA and the US FDA will conduct parallel assessment of QbD development and manufacturing data for new drug submissions.

The investment will enable Cytovance to expand its clinical trial and commercial scale cGMP manufacturing by funding facility, service and personnel expansion at its research and manufacturing operation.

Japan is handing out iodine pills to prevent the risk of thyroid cancer as the danger of nuclear radiation increases.

SCOLR Pharma has received a letter from the FDA identifying deficiencies regarding its Abbreviated New Drug Application for extended-release pseudoephedrine.

Nine life science companies have made the list of the top 50 innovators.

More drugs approved in the U.S. are manufactured overseas. This makes FDA inspection rate drop.